The food and mood are cooking at Firefly!

Having never had the pleasure of dining at The Firefly Restaurant before, my partner and I weren’t going to let the stormy weather conditions dampen our excitement as we eagerly made our way up the beautiful bamboo canopied driveway at The Pavilions in Layan for dinner recently.

On arrival, we were greeted warmly by the friendly staff then escorted to our table, which was close enough to the pool to capture the al fresco feeling but covered sufficiently from the still persistent, albeit light, rain.

The room was well spaced and laid out, the lighting was good and the background music was at just the right level to be able to allow us and our fellow diners the chance to converse without having to uncomfortably raise our voices too much. A nice, relaxing setting.

Our waiter, Khun Packer, familiarised us with the menu so expertly that we decided we would entrust him to choose our dishes for us. It wasn’t long before he returned with a sumptuous bread basket accompanied by a range of tasty condiments that I had to fight hard to limit for fear of becoming full before the main event!

For appertiser we were presented with the Tasting Platter which included a hand-selected array of traditional Thai dishes such as Tord Man Goong, Poh Pia Pak Tord, Yum Som O Gai and Chicken Satay. It was all delicious, although we both agreed the light and refreshing Yum Som O Gai was the stand out. Essentially a pomelo and chicken salad fused with fish sauce and spices to create a sweet and salty flavour sensation, it teased the taste buds and left a delectable after taste. I could easily have had another serving!

For main my partner had the Massaman Nuea and I the Pavilions ‘Cheese Overload’ Chicken Burger. The curry was simply a delight - so rich in flavour without being overly spicy, the beef chunks literally melted in our mouths and were complemented so well by perfectly cooked potatoes. Massaman is both our favourite Thai dish and this was up there with the very best we had ever had the pleasure to eat.

The Burger was also delicious. The succulent chicken breast that sat in the middle of the lightly toasted brioche bun was topped with streaky bacon, tomato, salad, battered spiced onions and three kinds of cheese that had melted and combined to create a delicious overload of cheese, just as promised. You’ll need a napkin or two as things can get a bit messy although, for me anyway, that’s always the mark of a proper burger!

For desert my partner had the Coconut Surpise, a Pandan sticky rice with orange sago, sesame tuille, mixed fruits, mango buffalo ice-cream served in young coconut which was refreshing and helped cleanse the palette. I chose the 75% Dark Chocolate Lava Cake with caramelized pineapple chutney and passionfruit sorbet and can genuinely say it was fantastic, which, coming from a self-procalimed chocolate aficionado, is saying something!

The deserts rounded off a beautiful evening which was overseen throughout by the attentive and delightful Khun Packer and his amazing smile, which could turn even the stormiest of weather into a bright occasion.

If you’re looking for a relaxed, casual environment with delicious food options and an extensive drinks menu then you can’t go wrong with Firefly – we are already planning a return visit!

Open for Breakfast: 7:00-10:30am | Lunch: 12.00-4pm | Dinner: 6-10pm